Friday, December 1, 2017

Notice of Schedule Change – Bantam Super Bowl Game

The following
change has been made to the Bantam Super Bowl Game:

Burleson vs. Crowley at AT&T Stadium at 3 pm

Comments from BVFA Executive Committee:

Good
Afternoon.

I
wanted to take the time to respond to the overwhelming number of emails I have
received, along with other members of BVFA, regarding the Midlothian 1 Bantam
Team. As a coach myself, I can appreciate the show of support from the many
parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, coaches and others associated with the
Midlothian 1 team.

That
being said, I truly do empathize with everyone that invested the time, effort,
and sweat it took to help these young men achieve such a successful season.
This entire situation has been extremely disappointing and frustrating to
process. BVFA was placed in a "no win" position to decide on a matter
that would have a negative impact on a child. That isn't right and is against
everything that BVFA represents and those that represent BVFA.

After
reading through all the emails I received today, I thought it would be
important to clarify the decision BVFA made regarding the Midlothian 1 Bantam
Team and head coach.

First
and foremost, the issue that lead to the ruling by BVFA is not a simple
violation of the 6-Play Rule of the BVFA By-Laws and Rules. The true violation
went beyond any 6-Play Rule infraction. The 6-Play Rule was established to
guarantee that ALL players on a certified BVFA team roster receive an
opportunity to play, regardless of their ability, height, weight, performance,
etc... Since incorporating the 6-Play Rule into the BVFA By-Laws and Rules,
violations have occurred when a coach failed to give a player(s) their minimum
number of required plays. Typically, it has involved a single player, but never
more than 2. This is the true essence of the rule. It is understandable for a
coach to make a mistake and forget to sub a player or even get caught up in the
action of the game. Coaches are not perfect! That is why the BVFA Town Reps
felt it was justifiable to make the first violation of this rule just a written
warning from BVFA. It allows the coach to make adjustments and an opportunity
to correct the situation from happening again. The issue regarding the
Midlothian 1 Bantam team goes beyond that violation.

Once
BVFA was informed of a 6-Play Rule Violation by Midlothian 1 Bantam Team, BVFA
prepared a written warning and emailed that to the proper representatives to
address with the head coach. However, a few days later, BVFA received
additional information regarding the matter from multiple sources involved or
familiar with the team. In that information, BVFA learned that a total of (9)
players did not receive their minimum number of plays (or 40% of the team
roster). Three of those players never even got on the field! BVFA immediately
requested a copy of the team's 6-Play Sheet for the game. The head coach was
unable to provide BVFA with a 6-Play Sheet, but was able to confirm that (9)
players did not receive their minimum number of required plays.

The
combination of the total number of players that did not receive playing time
(9), and the fact that a 6-Play Sheet was not kept for the game, lead the BVFA
Executive Board to believe that these actions were intentional and deliberate.
Subsequently, the BVFA Executive Board believes these actions to be a flagrant
violation of the BVFA core principal in the BVFA By-Laws and Rules, Article II
- Section B - "The Child First, The Sport Second."

Based
on this being a violation of the BVFA Core Principle, the BVFA Executive Board
concluded that the violation placed the Sport First and the Children Second and
significantly altered the outcome of the conference championship game between
Midlothian 1 vs Burleson and affected the children on both teams. After much
consideration of all the players involved that were affected by the Head
Coach's actions, the Executive Board ruled that Burleson be awarded the victory
by a 17-0 forfeit. In addition, the Head Coach for Midlothian 1 is given and
indefinite suspension with BVFA.

It
is sad and unfortunate that the players, parents, friends and relatives of the
Midlothian 1 team are being adversely affected by actions that were beyond
their control. However, it was the team's Head Coach had followed all of the
BVFA Rules that been put in place to prevent situations like this, the outcome
would have been very different. It was those actions that had an immediate
effect on the game and also included all the players on the opposing team. If
there is a positive side to this situation, it is that the players will have
four to five more opportunities to compete to play in future Super Bowl games.

Again,
I can not begin to express how much the BVFA Executive Board agonized over the
fact that they were forced to make a decision that would, in the end, have a
negative affect on dozens of children, their families and friends. It is not a
situation that anyone ever wants to be put in or deal with. Nevertheless, the
member associations of BVFA elected those individuals on the Executive Board
because they believed they were all of a nature that would allow them to make a
unbiased decision on matters like the one regarding the Midlothian 1 Bantam
Team.

I
appreciate the opportunity to provide BVFA's perspective on the this matter. I
hope that this information has provided some clarity regarding this situation.
It is regrettable that this all had to occur. If I can be of any other
assistance in answering questions or comments, please feel free to contact me directly by email.

Sincerely,

Bobby
Martin

President

Brazos
Valley Football Association, Inc.

Comments from MYFL Town Representative:

Understandably,
you, your coaches and parents are frustrated by the recent BVFA Executive
Committee ruling to overturn the Midlothian Bantam 1 win in the conference
championship game. We as board members, and long time volunteers to the
MYFL, are heartbroken as well that a rule violation has led to one of our own
teams not participating in the Super Bowl. But it was in fact a rule
violation. And one that the BVFA Executive Committee deemed egregious
enough to pass down a harsh punishment. We as an MYFL Board have to
support and defend that decision. The BVFA is one of the largest youth
football associations in Texas. We as a city league are grateful to be a
member. After spending 7 years volunteering time as a head coach for both
tackle and 7on7, as well as 2 stints on the MYFL Board, I can assure you that
the BVFA Executive Committee is fair and just. When they have to get
involved in rule violations, the outcomes are not always received well by all,
but they are always unbiased and fair. I can say this after spending
years either coaching with, coaching against or serving on the BVFA Board of
Directors as a Town Representative. They have the best interest of the Child
First. Which is why “The Child First, The Sport Second,” is the top core
value of the organization.

Zach
Hopkins

MYFL
Town Representative

Refunds for tickets purchased for Bantam
Super Bowl Game

Those
who purchased tickets for the earlier scheduled Bantam game and would like to
receive a refund may do so by contacting a member of the MYFL Board and
returning the ticket at which time they will receive a full refund. Click Here to contact BVFA if you have any
problems.